The Alabama football program has hired former Maryland interim head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley as an offensive analyst, AL.com's Matt Zenitz reported on Tuesday.
At first glance, it's an odd move. As an analyst, Locksley won't be able to go on the road to recruit for the Tide, and it's unlikely that Nick Saban of all people decided he was just dying to add a 3-31 career head coach to his staff for purely football reasons.
But recruiting is largely about connections, and getting Locksley – a strong Washington-area recruiter – might counteract the loss of former Tide personnel staffer Aazaar Abdul-Rahim to Maryland.